UH West O'ahu Commencement Ceremony, Dec. 9

Graduating class to hear from master navigator Kaʻiulani Murphy

UH West Oahu fall 2017 commencement ceremony is Saturday, Dec. 9.

KAPOLEI -- - Graduates, family, and friends will celebrate fall 2017 commencement exercises on Saturday, Dec. 9. About 270 students will earn bachelor’s degrees and certificates during a 9 a.m. ceremony at the UH West Oʻahu Lower Courtyard.

Master navigator Kaʻiulani Murphy will give the keynote address. Chancellor Maenette K.P. Ah Nee-Benham will preside over the ceremony. University of Hawai‘i System Vice President for Academic Planning and Policy Donald Straney and Vice President and Chief Information Officer Garret Yoshimi and University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents’ Vice Chair Benjamin Kudo, Regent Michael McEnerney, and Regent Brandon Marc Higa will be on hand to congratulate the graduates.

A navigator for the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Waimea-grown Murphy served as an apprentice under master navigator Nainoa Thompson. She graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a master’s degree in Hawaiian studies and now teaches voyaging courses at Honolulu Community College.   

Terina Faagau, a Waiʻanae resident graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences and concentrations in Political Science and Sociology, will speak on behalf of the graduating class. Candidate for graduation Rashad Hicks, a Kapolei resident who is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting, will serve as student emcee at the ceremony.

UH West O‘ahu graduates will receive their baccalaureate in Applied Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Public Administration and Social Sciences during the commencement ceremony. Graduates will also receive certificates in various programs including Applied Forensic Anthropology, Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Health Care Administration, Risk Management and Insurance, Substance Abuse and Addictions Studies, and Democratic Principles and Social Justice.

The commencement ceremony will be streamed live on the UH West O‘ahu website at http://www.uhwo.hawaii.edu.

UH West O‘ahu Fall 2017 Commencement details:

• Family and friends are welcome to attend commencement in the UH West O‘ahu Lower Courtyard. No tickets will be issued. Guests may arrive at 8 a.m. The seating area will be closed off once it reaches maximum capacity.
• The parking lot is expected to fill to capacity. Graduates will be issued a total of three (3) parking passes for their use and their guests. Spaces will be on a first come, first served basis. The parking lot will be closed once it reaches capacity (due to safety concerns). Carpooling is highly encouraged. Plan to arrive early as there will be considerable congestion along the Farrington Highway entrance to the campus.
• Lei vendors will be on site. Balloons and strollers are not allowed in the commencement seating area for safety reasons.
• A first-aid station will be available.
• A UH West Oʻahu Bookstore tent will be on-site selling UH West Oʻahu merchandise.

Graduates may greet guests following the ceremony at approximately 10:30 a.m. at the UH West O‘ahu Great Lawn near alphabetical signs.